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Friday, December 10, 2010

Surefire Saint Minimus: Giftus Maximus

As the newest, most wide-eyed member of the Eagle Optics sales staff, I get my hands on all sorts of fabulous optics. Naturally, as part of assisting our customers, all of us handle, evaluate, and compare optics on a daily basis. We each have the opportunity to try and field test the latest innovations first-hand. When it comes time to recommend a favorite, we do so with enthusiasm based on solid experience. So gather 'round, dear ones, and let me tell you about a little wonder called the Surefire Saint Minimus.

I've always found hands-free lighting to be a brilliant (no pun intended) invention, but I never had a headlamp that was particularly...well, brilliant. The few I tried were nice for, say, reading a map in the car and other close-up activity, but quickly proved to be of limited usefulness at night in the greater outdoors. I was disappointed with beams that were either too weak, not wide enough, or had dark spots and shadows. They didn't deliver a truly well-lit area ahead.

The Saint Minimus is everything the others aren't. I had no idea a headlamp would give me the feeling of having super-powers: a flawless, pure shaft of light streaming from my head. Believe me, the Minimus does. And even better, it has a variable light output dial which takes you from the 0-100 lumens, Surefire's measurement of light power. Even at a low setting, the beam of light impressed my friends at our remote northern Wisconsin campsite last summer. Hey, nice light, they all agreed. Then, with a simple two-fingered twist of the dial, my super powers kicked in and a chorus of WHOA! echoed up over the brightly lit treetops, now bathed in 100 lumens.

Surefire quality sets the bar high. You'd have to figure something this good costs more. But there are situations in which this caliber headlamp could be not only handy, but crucial, and quite possibly life-saving. Comfortable to wear, lightweight, and incredibly rugged: the super-fine Surefire Saint Minimus makes a memorable gift or, just maybe, something to keep all for your super-hero self.